When Life Gets Tough
by SparkyGirl123
Summary: My first FanFiction. Ward says some things he regrets in the lab. Skye comes in to check on him and feelings grow for each other. Purely SkyeWard but may grow into a bit of FitzSimmons ;)
1. Goodnight

**Okay so this is my first FanFiction, I appreciate constructive criticism and of course reviews. Please enjoy! **

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Ward was lying in his bunk, wide awake. He felt extremely guilty as a result of yet another rage incident with Skye and FitzSimmons. He knew they didn't blame him for the way he acted but he couldn't help feeling guilty after seeing the hurt on their faces.

Ward had retired to the bar to calm himself down but he still felt anger bubbling inside of him as he attempted to calm the fire inside of him down with whiskey. It had taken the opposite affect on him as it seemed time alone was the least that Agent Ward needed right then. Memories of his brother in the well kept coming back to him, the emotions came with them. Helplessness, frustration and anger. He knew the right thing to do would've been to go and apologize to the others, but something inside of him screamed out, _"Don't go and talk to them. If your emotions take over then you'll just end up hurting your friends even more." _

And that's how Agent Grant Ward ended up staying at the bar for about one and a half hours before retiring to his bunk with a second bottle of whiskey.

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Skye was sat watching a movie with FitzSimmons. They were watching Jurassic Park, don't ask it was Fitz' idea. Simmons had agreed politely and Skye decided to keep Fitz happy because Coulson had declined his request of getting a monkey yet again. They were about halfway through the movie and it was about ten o'clock or 22-00 hours as Ward would say. Okay, why was she thinking of Ward? What had sparked that thought in her head? She was _trying _to enjoy 'movie time' but instead she was thinking of her SO.

"I think I'm gonna retire for the night guys." Skye smiled as she stood up and stretched her arms.

"Alright." That seemed to be the only word Fitz could get out as his eyes were glued to the TV.

"Goodnight Skye." Simmons nodded as her friend left. She then slid from her spot on the sofa and sat next to Fitz on the floor. Fitz put an arm around the biochemist. She leant into him and they continued to watch Jurassic Park together.

Skye smirked when she saw the two scientists cuddling. She was about to walk into her bunk when she decided to go and see how Ward was doing. She had been hurt by his words earlier but she knew that his actions weren't a fault of his own. She walked to his bunk and knocked quietly on the door.

"Come in." a gruff voice came from inside.

Skye accepted the offer and slowly opened the door. "Hey." she smiled at him.

Ward nodded at her and patted the bed beside him. Skye walked slowly over to the bed and sat down next to her SO. She knew that he could go into another fit of rage at any moment so she stayed cautious. The pair sat in silence for a few moments but Ward was the first to speak.

"Look..." he began."I'm really sorry about before in the lab. I don't know what came over me and I regret saying what I said." he apologized.

Skye looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault. Remember, I'm always here to talk to if you need me."

Ward nodded. "Thanks." he looked down at the brunette woman sat beside him. She was pretty, he had to admit it, and in all honesty Agent Ward seemed to be discovering new-found feelings for his rookie. He had no idea if she had feelings for him as well or if she just saw him as her bossy and grumpy SO. Damn he wanted to kiss her so badly.

"I'm gonna go now." Skye stated as she stood up and walked over to the door.

Ward smiled. "See you tomorrow. 6-00 sharp."

Skye smirked. "Sure thing SO."

"Night rookie."

"Night Ward."

And with that, Skye left the room and closed the door behind her. Grant led back on the bed. Damn he definitely wouldn't be getting to sleep tonight.

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**Okay so I will be continuing this and should hopefully update again either later today or tomorrow. Please R&R, I also would appreciate some ideas for future chapters ;) Sorry for the short chapter but I thought it might be better if I did chapters this size and often rather than long chapters and not often.  
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	2. Just A Dream

**Okay so here's Chapter 2. Thanks to Wolf's Edge for the fantastic idea :) **

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_Ward looked down the deep well to the dark depths of the water below. His little brother was trying to stay afloat as he struggled in the icy cold well. Grant ran to get a rope and was about to throw it down for his sibling when a firm hand grabbed his shoulder. "Leave him a little longer Ward." his evil big brother smiled menacingly and then left him alone. Ward felt an angry fire building up inside his stomach and he could feel his face flushing red as he threw the rope down to his brother. The memory would set and it would take a lot to forget it._

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Ward sat up quickly in a pool of sweat. He was breathing heavily and his knuckles were white from where he had been clenching his fists so hard in pure hatred. He was blinded from the bright light that filled the room as his door opened. He growled in frustration.

"Okay, robot's turning into a tiger." Skye smirked sarcastically. She sat down on Ward's bed and saw he was having a fit of rage. It was quite obvious seeing as he was shaking vigorously. Ward was looking down at the plain white sheets on his bed. He then turned towards Skye, his eyebrows knitted together in a frown.

"What are you doing here!?" Ward asked angrily. "I don't want to hurt you."

Skye decided to be the complete opposite of herself - not annoying in Ward's eyes. She knew that if she wound him up he would more or less rip her to pieces. "Okay Ward. Calm down now."

Ward took a deep breath and held it in an attempt to calm himself down. Skye was at the top of the list of people that Ward didn't want to hurt. She was his rookie and it was his job to protect her. Even when she pushed the boundaries in fitness training with her non stop sarcastic comments and got herself into trouble out in the field, he still tried his best to protect her. So far Ward had been fairly good at his job as Skye's SO. He wasn't going to hurt her now because of the rage.

"Are you alright Ward?" Skye asked him. She had a concerned look on her face.

Ward nodded and took another deep breath before answering. "Yep. I should be alright." The memory of the well was fading slightly and the real Grant Ward was back again.

Skye smiled. "Right, I'll go then."

Ward stopped her. "I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep. Would you mind staying up with me for a bit?" he asked her.

Skye thought for a moment. "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Which one do you have in mind?" Ward asked. He had no preferences but a movie sounded like a good idea.

"Jurassic park always makes me go to sleep." Skye grinned.

Ward smirked. "Jurassic Park sounds good to me." he stood up and followed Skye out of his bunk. Skye started the DVD and sat down on one of the white sofas. Ward sat down next to her and decided he was actually enjoying watching Jurassic Park.

Ward had figured that they were about an hour through the movie when he turned to look at Skye. Sure enough she was fast asleep. Ward rolled his eyes and grabbed a blanket from one of the chairs. He placed it over Skye and moved her so she was into a more comfortable sleeping position on the couch. Ward smiled and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Night rookie." he smiled and turned off the TV. With one last look behind him at Skye fast asleep on the couch, Ward made his way back to his bunk.

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**Please review :) Next chapter should be soon, most likely tomorrow ;)**


	3. Training

**Thanks everyone for the kind reviews. Keep them coming! :)**

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Skye slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was not on her bed. Why was she in the lounge? It all came flashing back to her when she spotted the case for Jurassic Park on the floor. She remembered it all, Ward's nightmare, promising she'd stay up with him and then watching Jurassic Park until she'd fallen asleep. And by the look on Ward's face when he walked over to her right at that second, she was late for fitness training.

"What time do you call this Skye?" Ward asked sternly. Well it was good to see the normal Agent Ward again and not the angry one.

"Well considering somebody asked me to stay up with them at 3 in the morning I think I did pretty well waking up at whatever time this is." Skye smiled up at her SO.

"Skye..."

"What?"

"It's ten o'clock. You're four hours late for fitness training so I suggest you go and get ready now." Ward shrugged and walked down to the makeshift gym.

"Okay captain fun times." Skye rolled her eyes and slowly stood up from the sofa and made her way to her bunk. She pulled on a grey tank top with black sweatpants and made her way down the stairs to the cargo hold where Ward was beating the crap out of the punching bag. Ward stopped and turned around to look at Skye. God he loved her so much. He walked over to her and watched as she taped up her hands. Ward then protectively put an arm around her and led his rookie to the punching bag.

"Right so ten minutes of jab crosses." Ward stated.

"Ten minutes!" Skye gawped.

"That's right. If you want to be a serious field agent you need to know how to defend yourself."

"Ward you've told me that tons of times alright. I know I need to take training seriously in order to protect myself." she moaned and began punching away at the bag.

"Keep your hands up." Ward said and moved her hands up so they were level with her face however, Skye snatched her hands away from him and turned to walk back towards the stairs.

"Ward can you stop being so picky!? I know what I'm doing! You've taught me all this before you know." Skye shouted at him. She regretted her actions after she'd said that when she saw the hurt in her SO's face. "Look Ward, I'm sorry." Skye said quietly.

"No it's alright. I'm sorry." Ward apologized and walked over to her and sat down on the stairs. "You're right, I have been tough on you. But I just want to protect you."

"I know and I'll be fine in the field Ward."

"Not just in the field. On the Bus as well."

"Who would try and hurt me here?"

Ward closed his eyes as if trying to fight back a burning in his head. "Me." Ward said sadly.

Skye looked at him sadly. This was definitely not the Grant Ward she knew, and to be honest loved. She sat down next to him and held his hand reassuringly. Ward opened his eyes and looked down at the beautiful brunette. Damn he wanted to kiss her badly. He had to go for it, right?

"Look Skye. I need you to understand that you're the last person I would want to hurt. But sometimes I can't help my actions when I'm filled with rage." Ward sighed.

Skye squeezed his hand and smiled slightly. "It's alright. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone purposely. I suppose you're not the terminator." she smirked and grinned when she saw him smile at her. "Ring the alarm, the robot just smiled!"

Ward shook his head. "Are we going to get back to training now then?" he smiled as he stood up.

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**So there you go another chapter complete! How I adore SkyeWard fluff :P Next update should be soon so please R&R **


	4. Is That The Bus?

**Thanks for all your lovely reviews :) They really make my day ;) Enjoy!**

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"Team, please report to the command center immediately." Coulson's voice came over the loudspeaker. He sounded serious so the team was all gathered in the command center within minutes.

"What's up AC?" Skye asked.

"You guys are probably wondering why we've landed in France. There have been multiple cases of minor explosions here. The authorities at the Hub have asked us to check it out." Coulson explained.

"What's the plan?" May asked in her normal tone.

"Skye and Ward will go in and investigate the last explosion site. See if you can discover anything suspicious. May, you and I will go and interview some witnesses of the last few explosions. FitzSimmons will stay here and see if you can discover a pattern between the explosions. Get in touch if you find anything." Coulson ordered. "Kit up guys and we'll meet in the cargo hold in five minutes." and with that Coulson left. May soon followed and FitzSimmons left to go and prep the lab. Ward and Skye stood alone in the command center.

"Look after me out there SO." Skye smiled up at Ward who smiled down at her.

"Don't worry about it rookie." Ward assured her. "We'd best go to the cargo hold."

Ward and Skye walked together to the cargo hold where May was already waiting. She was leant on the bonnet of the SUV. Fitz and Simmons were already in the lab looking at information on the recent explosions. Coulson arrived a few minutes later.

"May and I will go in Lola. Ward and Skye, you take the SUV. Ward, you can drive. In all honesty I don't trust Skye driving." Coulson smirked.

Skye stared at Coulson with her mouth hanging open. "Rude much. I've lived in a van for most of my life AC." Skye argued as if it was an obvious fact.

Ward smiled. "It's alright sir. I'll drive." he opened the drivers door and hopped on to the seat. Skye groaned and also jumped in to the car.

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The pair had been sat in a bit of an awkward silence for about five minutes when Skye spoke.

"So what's the plan?"

"We arrive at the explosion site and investigate it. The scene may still be slightly unstable because the explosion was only two days ago."

Skye nodded. "Alright. Sounds fun." she said sarcastically.

Ward rolled his eyes. And continued to drive down the main road. Skye looked out of the window and watched a plane fly overhead.

"That looks like the bus." Skye said simply.

Ward also looked up at the plane. Hang on... that plane did look like the bus! He turned the steering wheel sharply and slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

"What do you think happened?" Skye asked, panicked.

"I think we left the bus alone with two scientists who are still not cleared for field work." Ward stated. "And then, I think the people who have been staging the explosions used that as a distraction whilst they stole the bus."

"Oh... that's not to good."

"No not really."

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Ward and Skye sat quietly in the freezing cold SUV. They had gotten to the airfield about half an hour ago and sure enough the bus was gone. Ward had got in touch with Coulson and May who had actually got to the airfield before Skye and Ward.

"Do you think Fitz and Simmons are alright?" Skye asked quietly as she broke the silence.

Ward looked down at her and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. "They'll be fine Skye. Don't worry."

Skye looked up at her SO and leaned closer to him. She loved Ward when he was in his affectionate mood. It was the complete opposite of the Agent Ward in training. She loved this man and Skye knew it. She just wondered whether Ward knew it or not.

"Skye?"

"Yes Ward?"

"I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you. I know this isn't really the best time to reveal this especially when we are in the midst of a crisis but I just couldn't hide my feelings much longer." Ward looked down at her.

Skye looked up at him. "I love you to." she smiled and kissed him gently.

"Ward?" Coulson's voice came over the intercom.

_'Bad timing sir.' _Ward thought. "Yes sir?"

"I think we've found something of interest. Could you come and take a look?"

"Yes sir, what is it?"

"A bomb."

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**So how did you guys like that? Please R&R :)**


	5. The Bomb

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews and I apologize for the long wait :P So here it is! Chapter 5 :D**

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"Ward what's wrong?" Skye asked.

Ward wrapped a protective arm around Skye and pulled her out of the car with him. Without any words Skye knew what was going on. If there was a bomb then she wanted to be with him and he wanted to protect her. Together they made their way out onto the runway where Coulson and May were crouched next to a small black box with flashing red numbers on it. A countdown. _Well that's old fashioned. _Ward smirked but he knew that this was no laughing matter. He and Skye both joined May and Coulson next to the bomb.

"Do you know how to disarm it?" Coulson asked Ward.

Ward looked a bit closer at the bomb and then took the back off it to reveal a lot of wires.

"Let me guess, a little present from FitzSimmons kidnappers?" Skye looked at Coulson and May with a look of worry on her face as Ward examined the bomb that threatened to go off at any minute and potentially blow everybody to pieces. Coulson and May just nodded in answer to Skye's question.

Ward looked up at the others. "Well this is annoying. The traditional red and black wire." he then looked back at the gun. "Do we have a knife or something?" he asked.

"There's one in the SUV." May said and ran over to the car with her blank expression on her face.

"Which wire is it?" Coulson asked.

"I don't know." Ward sighed.

"That's promising. Just so you know Ward I don't fancy dying today." Skye rolled her eyes and then looked at May as she arrived back with the others and chucked the knife to Ward who looked at the two wires and then finally decided what he was going to do. He looked up at the others.

"Go back to the SUV." he said seriously. Coulson and May nodded and did as they were asked. Skye however stayed put. "Skye. I'm not going to argue about this OK. Just go back to the car."

Skye shook her head and stayed where she was. "I'm not leaving you. Do you really think I'd be able to live without you?"

Ward sighed and saw he wasn't winning this one. "I love you Skye." he smiled and kissed her before pulling the night night pistol out of his jacket and shooting Skye with it, knocking her unconscious. He quickly caught her before she had a chance to hit the ground. He stood up and ran to the SUV before placing her down beside the vehicle. Ward managed to get some very confused looks from Coulson and May before running back to where the bomb was. He quickly grabbed the knife and cut both wires as quickly as he could. He closed his eyes for a few minutes as he prepared for the worst. However, the worst didn't come.

Ward walked back to the SUV slowly. Skye was probably going to kill him later but he was glad she was OK.

He sat down with Skye's head in his lap, carefully stroking her hair. He knew the biggest challenge was yet to come. Finding and rescuing FitzSimmons.

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**Okay so that's it for now ;) I will hopefully be updating again in the next few days (I promise) Please review, each one is like an early Christmas present to me **


	6. I Love You

**Sorry for the long wait but I've been really caught up with school and my horse at the minute I am seriously excited about watching the new episode tonight, I was busy last night but oh well. Can't believe we have to wait 4 weeks for the next episode but just watched the trailer and I am seriously excited :D**

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Skye slowly opened her eyes to the quietness and solitude of the SUV she normally enjoyed. However, she knew this wasn't some of her 'me time.' Her first clue was the aching pain in her chest where she remembered one Agent Grant Ward shot her with the night night pistol. _Ouch._ She remembered everything. The Bus leaving, the bomb, the kiss. But where was Grant? Skye was going to give him a piece of her mind.

As if on cue, the door to the SUV was opened, followed by a gust of cold air which made Skye sit up with a start.

"Hey, it's just me." Grant said with a calm voice which made Skye's tense muscles relax. But then she looked up at him and glared.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" she shouted, clearly pissed off.

"I was trying to-" Grant started only to be cut off by Skye.

"You were trying to protect me, I get it. But I couldn't live with myself if I lost you." She looked into his eyes.

"I couldn't live with myself if I lost you, or if something happened to you because of me." Grant sat down next to her and squeezed her hand.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I love you." Grant smiled down at her.

"I know. And I love you to." Skye looked up at him and smiled. The distance between them closed and they fell into a deep, meaningful kiss. Only that didn't last for to long thanks to Coulson.

"We may have set coordinates for the Bus's destination." Coulson explained.

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Fitz and Simmons were sat in the empty interrogation room.

"Why does this always happen to us?" Fitz asked.

"What do you mean?" asked a confused Simmons.

"I mean why do the bad things always happen to us? Like with the 0-8-4 when we were held in the lab. With the Chituari virus. When we were locked in the cupboard by the demon." Fitz explained, recalling the memories.

"Oh yeah. But Fitz that comes with the job." Simmons sighed.

"I know. But I just wish we could have a week off or something."

"Me too Fitz. Me too."

"Do you think the team will find us?"

"I'm sure of it." Simmons smiled at her colleague. "We're a family, we work together."

Fitz nodded. "Do you want to play tic tac toe?" he asked to try and lighten the mood.

"Sure!" Simmons smiled.

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**So there you go! I thought it would be good to introduce the fact that FitzSimmons are still alive don't worry. I'm going to try and think of a big plot twist to introduce over the next few chapters so any suggestions are welcome. Next update should be within the next week and yet again I am sorry for the long wait :)**


	7. A Threat and a Certain Millionaire

**I'm so sorry it took so long to update. I know I said I would update sooner but homework has been beginning to pile up and I've had to revise for my science exam. I had this idea a few days ago when I was in my science lesson, don't ask :P **

**All characters belong to Marvel. Believe me I wish I owned Agents of Shield but unfortunately I don't :(**

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Night had fallen, Coulson and May still hadn't returned. The pair had left Skye and Ward to go to the hub where they would try and locate the bus using its tracking device.

The specialist agent and his rookie were now lying on the bonnet of the SUV stargazing (don't tell Coulson). It was peaceful, peaceful was good. Ward had his arm wrapped protectively around the young brunette he had laying next to him.

"Which is your favorite constellation Skye?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Pegasus." Skye replied. Ward was about to speak but then she continued. "When I was younger and living at St Agnes, I would sneak out at night. I'd just go in to the garden. I'd look up at the stars and I'd always look for that constellation. It reminded me of freedom and that every cloud has a silver lining."

Ward nodded and placed a kiss to the top of her head. "My favorite is little bear. When I was growing up we lived next door to this old woman. She was the person I turned to when I had had a hard day because of my older brother. I guess she was kind of like a grandma to me."

"What about gramsy?" Skye smiled and Ward rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, she used to call me little bear and she showed me the constellation in the sky. A few months later, she had a heart attack and died. Whenever I look into the sky I look for little bear and it reminds me of her. Of happiness and peace." Ward smiled sadly.

Skye looked over at him. "I'm so sorry Ward."

Ward looked at her. "It's alright rookie. She was very old and had a good life. She'd been battling with cancer for a very long time and in a way I was kind of glad she was gone as she could rest forever."

"Who knew the robot could say such beautiful words."

Ward rolled his eyes and slid off the bonnet. He walked round to the other side and began to tickle Skye just under her ribs.

"No! Please stop it!" Skye giggled.

"Only if you kiss me!" Ward laughed.

"Alright! Alright!" She stood up when Ward stopped and kissed him gently and passionately. They only broke apart when air was needed.

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FitzSimmons had fallen asleep but were soon woken by the sound of the door to the interrogation room being opened.

"Get up." a deep voice ordered the two sleepy scientists.

"Five more minutes." Fitz mumbled and closed his eyes.

"Get up, now!" the voice ordered again.

Fitz reluctantly opened his eyes and Simmons helped him to stand up. The pair now got a good look at the owner of the voice which had rudely awoken them from their peaceful slumber. He was very tall with a muscular build. He had messy blonde hair and brown eyes with high cheekbones and a scar running down the right side of his face. The guard walked over to them and roughly placed a pair of handcuffs on each of them. They were led out of the room and taken upstairs to Coulson's office which had now been inhabited by a small man who seemed to like cats.

In a proper villain fashion, Coulson's chair was spun around and revealed a small man with a mustache stroking a cat. He put down the cat and stood up. "Sorry, I've just always wanted to do this." he smiled up but then his face went serious again. "We need permission from S.H.I.E.L.D to change the course of this plane."

"Why?" asked Simmons.

"Because we want to change the course but S.H.I.E.L.D might suspect something if we haven't confirmed it. So, we need a member of the team to confirm it. And seeing as you two were the only team members around we didn't really have much choice."

"But what about the explosions? Was that you?" Fitz asked the little man.

"Yes, just a little distraction for long enough so we could steal this plane. There's a lot of old crap in this room isn't there." he stated as he paced around the room, studying his surroundings.

"And why should we help you?" Simmons bravely said.

"Because if you don't then one of you will die. Oh yes, and your other team members on the ground."

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Skye and Ward had soon fell asleep on the back seat of the SUV. Ward was the first to wake up and he saw the bright headlights of Lola breaking through the slight mist that had settled on the runway.

"Skye." Grant whispered and nudged the sleeping brunette next to him.

"What?! Have they found FitzSimmons?" she shot up and asked quite loudly.

"We're about to find out." Ward smiled and opened the door, stepping out onto the hard concrete and being greeted by a gush of cold air.

Coulson and May walked over to Ward.

"So? DO we know where the bus has gone?" Skye asked the two older agents excitedly.

Coulson sighed. "We know the Bus is somewhere over the Atlantic, however we don't know where the planned destination is."

Skye's smile dropped. "How are we supposed to get across the Atlantic? It's not like we have the bus or anything."

"Well, S.h.I.E.L.D has managed to find some help in the shape of a certain millionaire..." Coulson smiled.

"Who?" Ward asked.

They were interrupted by a blue streak across the sky and then a man dressed in an iron suit was stood next to them.

"You're kidding me!" Skye grinned.

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**So how did you guys like that? We will find out where the Bus is going in the next few chapters. Please R&R and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I felt I revealed quite a lot about the plot in this chapter :P Next update should be either on Tuesday or Thursday ;)**


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